Professional Emails! As we know, emails play a dominant role in today’s world. Professional emails have taken over office circulars and verbal conversation to become the new way of internal and external communication.

We hence need to understand the importance of writing professional emails (Also read: 10 e-mail etiquettes). Do your emails gets the required attention from the recipient? Do they have the correct tone and structure?

Here are few tips to write and respond to emails professionally and avoid email bloopers.

Subject Matters: The first step in composing an effective business email is to fill in the subject line. Spend some time considering the subject line. In a time when everyone receives high volumes of emails a day, if your subject line isn’t familiar or is ambiguous it may land straight in the trash before it is even opened. Avoid using ‘Hi’ as a subject in professional emails.

Address the Recipient professionally: Avoid using ‘Hello’ if this is your first interaction with the recipient. ‘Dear Ms …’ will be more appropriate if you are contacting the person for the first time. Though it doesn’t hurt to use ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ after two or three interactions and once the relationship is more cordial.

Keep your message focused: Avoid rambling stories and long introductions. The sooner you get to the main point, the better for the reader. Keep it concise. Draft your email in such a way that it gives the reader a complete understanding of the objective of your mail. Avoid abbreviations and emoticons as far as possible. Use simple font and avoid writing in all capital letters mode.

Differentiate between “Reply” and “Reply to All”: Most of the times people use “Reply to all” option while replying to emails, which creates a headache for the other people in the senders distribution list. Do not use reply all if you need to reply to an individual.

Email signature is must: Your email signature is not just to add a look of professionalism to your email, but is also a contact tool. So include your name, designation, email address and contact number clearly. Avoid long signatures.

Proofread your email before sending: Take a minute and read the message of your email before you hit the send button. Proof-reading your mail, ensures your email is error-free and clearly conveys the message that you intend. (Also read: When email etiquette at workplace goes wrong!)

Respond promptly: One of the best email practices is to respond to your emails as promptly as possible. If you need some time to collect information or decide on something, send a brief message acknowledging the receipt of email and explaining the delay. Do not allow emails to languish in your inbox.

Apart from being faster, cost-effective and more reliable, emails also serve as a proof of communication. Follow these easy and simple tips to increase the efficacy of your emails and enhance your professional communication.

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